Neither do I. He did sign it. If it wasn't to make money and only display he was out the $500 anyway.

The same complaints are said for years, so really, if you want someone to sign really neatly, if you want someone to add their number or HOF or Perfect Game or Cy Young, or sign on the sweet spot, do yourself a favor and skip Soxfest signings next year, or you will be saying the same thing. You can blame the players, but autographs have become big business. Frank, Bo, Thome, I am all sure have contractual obligations when it comes to signing. Whether you have any intention or not of selling it, the guy signing it probably and understandaby thinks you do. There are more people looking to make money in those autograph lines than are not. Even some collectors who say they are for personal display will look for a profit in a few years.

I agree with most of what you're saying, except your opinion that there are more folks there to make money on autos than not. That simply is not the case. The time, money, and effort to get one item at a time signed at a fan convention is not worth it. The math almost never makes sense if you are hoping to profit. Are seekers there to get items signed at a retail discount? Absolutely. If you were to get items signed by Jackson, Thomas, and Thome at an autograph show, it might run you around $400 combined. I understand not personalizing items...that just makes sense. Imagine how long it would take if everyone asked for a specific number, stat, etc. But, I think it's fair to expect a good signature on a good location. I think that's the spirit of a fan convention. These items getting signed usually mean a lot to people. It's just common courtesy. At the same time, these collectors need to realize that players remember faces. If you've been camping out at Soxfest for 15 years straight, you're probably giving the impression that you're running a small business, even if your intentions are innocuous.

As for the folks that wait around in hotel lobbies and stalk players to get 10 of the exact same picture signed, they should all be deported.